The goal of this investigation was to develop concrete composites containing various percentages of Illinois PCC Bottom Ash and Class F Fly Ash by replacing portions of fine aggregate and Type I Portland Cement, respectively. The target was to develop concrete composites that have compressive strength of 27,000 kPa (4,000 psi) after 28-days of curing in water, slump of 102 ± 13mm (4 ± ½ inches), and air contents between 4 and 6 percent. To obtain the targeted air content, an air-entraining agent, Micro-Air, was used. A water-to-cement ratio of approximately 0.43 was used.

Detailed laboratory testing on the concrete composites and the equivalent conventional concrete, i.e., control mix included: slump; fresh air content; compressive, splitting tensile, and flexural strengths; rapid chloride ion penetrability; resistance to rapid freezing and thawing; sealed shrinkage; free swelling; and exposure to external sulfate attack.

Performance of the concrete composites was observed to behave similarly to the equivalent conventional concrete. It was concluded that the concrete composites developed in this study have significant potential for use on real-world projects.